


In Love

by DaniJayNel



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Bisexual Historia, F/M, Fluff, Genderbent Ymir, Happy Ending, M/F YumiHisu, Male ymir, Oneshot, Romance, Trans Ymir, just pure happiness and love, side mikannie, side nanaba/frieda, side reibert, trans positivity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:34:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23158618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaniJayNel/pseuds/DaniJayNel
Summary: “Hi there, what can I get for you?”Historia turned, realizing she had zoned out and left the poor café worker to just wait for her. Her gaze landed on beautiful brown eyes, and her breath suddenly got stuck in her throat. There was a cute little he/him pronoun badge pinned to his apron, with the transgender flag colours in the background. She swallowed thickly, eyes flicking up from the pin back to his eyes. Those gorgeous, dreamy eyes… that were narrowing ever so slightly.XxXA sweet romance between Historia and Ymir, where they meet, immediately fall in love, and then everything falls into place from there on.
Relationships: Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir
Comments: 29
Kudos: 78





	In Love

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING! This fic contains boy x girl. If you don't like that, then please close the tab. lol. No but seriously, while this isn't entirely straight/cis YumiHisu, Ymir is a guy in this. I suddenly felt the incredible need to write this??? And bros, it's beautiful. Would you believe me if I said I wrote this in one day? I hope everyone enjoys, especially my trans readers. I love all of you so much.

Historia didn’t really attend things like this, but Nanaba had very nice eyes and quite the adorable puppy-dog face, so who was she to say no? Nanaba attended these events often, apparently. She decided she was attending just to support her friend, but she was also curious.

Being bisexual, Historia didn’t always feel included in the community. These days, it was so easy for some people to decide it was finally their turn to discriminate. Honestly, it was exhausting. So, being surrounding by a multitude of queer people of all different types made Historia’s chest warm.

This was a meet and greet for their city’s queer community. They had a website with a very active forum as well as a small Youtube channel that didn’t quite get a lot of traffic, but focused on giving out current and correct information about all things queer.

Historia felt a little awkward standing in the little cafe attached to the nearby bookstore, nursing the hot coffee she had ordered minutes earlier. People were milling about all around her, chatting in already established groups as well as introducing themselves to each other. She caught a few curious glances cast her way, people probably wondering where in the community she fit in. Or maybe that was just her own bitter paranoia.

A hand covered her elbow, and she jerked in fright and turned around. Nanaba immediately released her hold.

“Sorry.”

Historia pressed a hand to her chest. “Jesus, Nana. Warn a girl.”

Nanaba flashed that charming smile. “I’m so very sorry, Historia. Have you spoken to anyone yet?”

Historia sipped on her coffee. It was incredibly sweet and topped with cream, just how she loved it. “Not really. I’ve been standing here like the socially awkward person I am.”

“You don’t need to feel uncomfortable. Everyone here is so chill.” She glanced over at the crowd of people, smiling that soft, gentle smile.

Historia felt a little niggle of bitterness that she hadn’t managed to snatch Nanaba up for herself. She felt guilty for the feeling, of course. Nanaba was technically now her sister—married to Frieda. Nanaba was just so wonderful and sweet, and everything Historia thought she wanted for herself. Frieda never stopped rubbing it in her face, though.

“Shouldn’t your wife be here supporting you, instead of me?”

Nanaba lifted a brow at her tone. “She had to go out of town. If you don’t want to be here you’re welcome to go. I know I twisted your arm a bit. I don’t want you to waste your time or feel uncomfortable the whole time.”

God, why was Historia such a jerk sometimes? She lowered her cup and gently took Nanaba’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’m sorry. I want to be here. I’m part of the community too, right?”

Nanaba still looked a bit wounded, but she offered a little smile. “The point of this is to just connect with each other. You’d be surprised at how many people walk through here. Some only visit to order some coffee, and some stay the entire day.”

Historia nodded and let Nanaba’s hand go. She surveyed the room again, surprised to see the amount of people had doubled. The poor café staff looked hurried and rushed, what with the incredible line of people waiting to order drinks and pastries. Historia was glad she had decided to order as soon as she arrived.

“I’d like to stay however long you do,” she told Nanaba. “And I’m sorry for being a jerk.”

Nanaba gave her arm a pat. “That’s okay, it’s in your genes.” She gave a cheeky grin, so Historia just rolled her eyes. It was always a running joke with her—the Reiss genes. That stubbornness and sarcasm ran through their veins thicker than blood. For all her joking, Nanaba couldn’t deny that she had fallen incredibly hard for someone of said Reiss blood.

“You never know,” Nanaba added, “maybe you’ll catch someone’s eye.”

At that, Historia went still. She narrowed her eyes and fixed Nanaba with a very serious stare. Before she could open her mouth and ask, _did you invite me here to fucking set me up with someone?_ Nanaba dipped her head and then disappeared in the crowd. Historia stared after her, eyes wide. She’d thought Nanaba just wanted a partner to tread the crowds with. Had she done this with nefarious intents all along? Historia didn’t want to be hurt, and she wasn’t really. Just mildly irritated.

She had been single for so long that she forgot what it was like to even be in a relationship. Frieda often liked to try and set her up with someone, but those blind dates always ended badly. It got to a point where Historia begged her to stop, and she insisted that if she ever saw someone that she wanted to pursue, she would do it herself. Mercifully, Frieda stopped her bullshit. Her shady comments on Facebook though? Never. She was incapable, being the big sister and all.

Historia let out a sigh. Now she didn’t feel guilty at all for her little bit of attitude. She finished her drink and decided she would order something to eat and then head home.

The door to the café slammed open, the bell jingling loudly, making many heads turn to look curiously. The door was opening often, but not so loudly. Someone barrelled into the room, shouting for people to please move—while dropping a few swear words here and there—and shot across the room. Historia barely even saw them before they disappeared in the ‘Staff Only’ door to the café. Someone grumbled about them doing that often, then the line shifted. Historia quickly moved to step in at the back.

It took half an hour of standing and looking at her phone, but she finally made her way to the counter. Laughter caught her attention, and she glanced to the side. On one of the nearby loveseats, two men cuddled close, nuzzling against each other. One was grinning broadly while the other was blushing, and they looked disgustingly in love. Historia frowned. A voice cleared.

“Hi there, what can I get for you?”

Historia turned, realizing she had zoned out and left the poor café worker to just wait for her. Her gaze landed on beautiful brown eyes, and her breath suddenly got stuck in her throat. There was a cute little he/him pronoun badge pinned to his apron, with the transgender flag colours in the background. She swallowed thickly, eyes flicking up from the pin back to his eyes. Those gorgeous, dreamy eyes… that were narrowing ever so slightly.

Historia could feel her cheeks redden. “I’m sorry! I’m not, uh… not used to crowds like this.”

He nodded and smiled. “Understandable. A room full of gays can do that.” His tone was light, which betrayed the fact the he was very much joking. “Are you an unfortunate heterosexual that stumbled upon this place? Or just socially anxious?”

Historia was surprised he was asking her, but delighted in the same breath. Honestly, she was struggling to look at him. He was absolutely beautiful, with freckles over his nose and cheeks, and that jawline, and those lips. God, her knees were going weak. She felt the desperate need to mumbled ‘ _god I’m so gay’_ but she couldn’t necessarily say that without getting a few head tilts of confusion. Still, that’s exactly how she suddenly felt.

“I’m bisexual,” she blurted, “so no, not a poor straight. I don’t attend things like this often. And I don’t really like crowds.”

He grinned at her. “Pretty girlfriend force you along?” She shook her head. “Pretty boyfriend, perhaps? Or sexy nonbinary?”

Historia laughed. “Sister-in-law, actually. Could I maybe order now?”

He shrugged. “Of course. Been waiting this whole time.”

Her cheeks flamed again. “I’m so sorry. I’m probably holding up the line, aren’t I?”

He lifted a brow and looked over her shoulder, and Historia looked with him. Two women stood there holding hands, but they flashed thumbs-up and shrugged, and Historia blushed harder.

“They don’t seem to mind,” he said.

She swallowed—yet again. She quickly ordered a new coffee and two pastries, and then watched his face as he focused on the screen and tapped her order in. He was… so tall. Historia didn’t have a particular thing for tall people only. Hell, she actually liked guys that were short. They were cute. Girls shorter than her drove her goddamn wild.

“Here ya go,” he said, handing her slip and change over. “Coffee will be a minute or two.” He handed her pastries over, warm and fresh, grease already starting to soak into the paper bag. Historia just stood there and watched as he turned and assembled her coffee, then he whipped around and handed it to her. He winked as she took it, and briefly their fingers touched. She felt a spark like lightning travel over her skin.

“Oh,” she gasped softly.

“Ymir,” he said.

She blinked. “Sorry?”

“My name?” He smirked lightly, and Historia got the impression he did that often—and probably annoyed a lot of people. “It’s Ymir. For, you know, logistic reasons. Or if you ever feel like ordering some delicious pastries by me again.”

Historia stared at him. Ymir… such a strange name, and yet it suited him so well. She knew that the people behind her were starting to get annoyed and she had to leave, but she felt rooted to the spot. She didn’t want this interaction to end, for Ymir’s brown eyes to leave her face. So, swallowing her anxiety, she slapped her slip down on the counter.

“Do you have a pen?”

Ymir looked surprised, but produced a pen from his apron and handed it over.

Wordlessly, Historia scribbled her name and number, then handed the paper and pen back to him. Ymir blinked at her, like he could hardly believe she had just given her number despite the amount of flirting he had done. Historia suddenly felt very self-conscious. Was he just like that with everyone? Had she misunderstood? Before she could embarrass herself more, she clutched her food to her chest and then ducked out of the line.

“Thank you!” she threw over her shoulder, then hurried out. Her face was absolutely burning, and she couldn’t believe she had just done that. She shot Nanaba a quick message to say she had left, and then she went home.

* * *

Ymir kept the paper in his pocket, and through the day he kept slipping his hand inside to caress the crumbled edge. He couldn’t really believe that such a beautiful girl had so willingly given him her number, and he kept getting distracted as his mind drifted off, thinking about her. His co-worker, Jean, wouldn’t stop poking fun at him through the whole day.

“Come on, if you don’t ask her out, I will.”

Ymir glared at him as he wiped down the counter. They were thankfully finally closed, and exhausted after such a rush. He loved when their little shop had these monthly events, but it was exhausting with the amount of people pouring in. Not everyone was so nice or understanding, either.

“Bitch, aren’t you basically married already?”

Jean gasped in offense. “Marco and I have only been dating for a month.”

Ymir rolled his eyes. “Yeah and I’ve unfortunately overheard you talking over the phone. I could throw up.” He remembered the constant ‘ _no you end the call first’_ he’d heard from the staff room, and it would never not be funny. It did make him mildly jealous, though.

“You’re just jealous because you can never hold a relationship for so long.” Jean gave him a pointed look, then turned to finish cashing up.

Ymir sighed. Jean was right, of course. In fact, Ymir had just gotten out of a relationship a few months back, and the sad thing was that this was the longest he had just been single. After ending things on his side, he had decided that he needed to just exist alone for a while. He kept seeking girls out, then breaking their hearts when he never quite loved them as deeply. He just… never felt much after the first month or two. Sometimes he worried he was broken.

Jean must have noticed the sudden look of worry on his face, because he clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Man, I didn’t mean that, I’m sorry.”

Ymir sighed. “But you’re right.” He shrugged Jean’s hand off then went to the back room to dump his apron. Jean followed and together they finished closing up shop. Their third worker, Eren, had rushed out the moment he could when Ymir had arrived after being a bit late.

“For what it’s worth, I hope you do get the courage to call that girl and ask her out. She’s super cute.”

Ymir locked up and gave Jean a weary look. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

Jean shrugged. “Maybe I’m tired of being an ass all the time. You should try being nice sometimes, too. It’s… different.”

Ymir snorted. They said their goodbyes and headed out. Marco picked Jean up—Ymir pointedly did not look their way because they kissed for a solid minute in greeting—and he climbed onto his bike. He put his jacket on, his helmet and gloves, then kicked his bike to life. It roared between his legs, sending adrenalin through him.

He loved speeding through the city. His parents always told him that he wouldn’t die of old age, but of crashing his bike. He always laughed it off, but he knew they were genuinely worried for him. So, this time he went at a normal speed and made it home a little later than usual. He trudged his way up his apartment building to his floor, then kicked the door open after unlocking it.

“Aw, geez, fuck!”

He shut the door and lifted his brows in surprise. “Rei?” he called out, dropping his keys in their key bowl by the door. “You okay?”

“Yeah, in here!”

He put his stuff down on the couch and went into the kitchen. There was Reiner, washing his hand underneath a stream of water. On the stove Ymir smelt something amazing.

“Honey, I’m home,” Ymir chirped happily and stole a piece of meat from the pan.

“Get your grimy fingers out of dinner, Ymir.” Reiner turned the tap off and gingerly dabbed his hand dry. “I burnt my hand on the hot plate.”

Ymir hopped up on the island counter. “Is it bad?”

Reiner lifted his hand and inspected it. “Nah. It’ll just blister a bit.” He sighed and then returned to stirring the food. “How was your day?”

Ymir licked his lips, still tasting the sauce. “Busy as shit. As usual.” Reiner grunted in acknowledgement, and Ymir debated with himself for a long moment. He pulled the slip of paper out and stared down at the writing. It was neat and legible, a far cry from Ymir’s own chicken scratch.

 _Historia,_ and below that, her number. Ymir found himself grinning wryly. Seems he wasn’t the only one with a strange name. It endeared Historia to him even more, though her gorgeous blue eyes had already done that for him. His attention shifted as he got lost in remembering her, and he couldn’t remember the last time someone had ever made him feel this way. His flirting had been knee-jerk. It was what he did when he was talking to a girl so pretty that his brain just stopped working. Usually she would get offended or just ignore it. Usually he would stop immediately the second she got a frown or a look of discomfort. But Historia, she seemed to like it, and then she kept biting back. She was a little awkward, but who wasn’t?

“Hello?” Reiner waved his hand in front of Ymir’s face. “I’ve said like a whole novel. Did you hear a word I said?”

Ymir blinked and looked at him. “No, sorry.”

Reiner frowned. He noticed the paper in Ymir’s hands, read what was written on there and then his expression morphed into delighted surprise.

“Is that…” He covered his mouth with his hands. “A girl’s number?”

Ymir felt himself blush slightly. As if Reiner would tarnish it, he put the paper away quickly. “Yeah.”

Reiner made a noise that was startlingly similar to a squeal. “Who is she? Tell me everything about her!”

Ymir clasped his fingers together. “There’s nothing to tell, she was just in line at the café today. I flirted a bit too much because she was too pretty for me to comprehend.”

Reiner laughed. “So she gave you her number? She totally wants you.”

Ymir gently punched his shoulder and he pretended to howl in pain. “Stop being such a man baby.”

“Stop being so afraid of building a meaningful connection with someone,” Reiner shot back. “Open yourself up to love. Don’t just open your legs.”

Ymir gasped in actual offense. “Excuse me, ma’am, are you slut shaming me?”

Reiner switched the stove off and sent him a droll look. “You’re not going to deflect this time. You have a problem, Ymir. The sooner you accept that someone out there will love you for you, the easier it’ll be to actually love someone.”

Ymir frowned. “I can’t help that the feelings just fizzle out for me.”

Reiner’s look said he didn’t believe that. He started dishing for them. “Ymir, I’ve seen you in action. The second things start to get serious, you just bail out.”

Ymir felt uncomfortable. Everything Reiner said was true. He just… he got terrified, sometimes. Terrified when he could see himself settling down, when he could see the acceptance in his partner’s eyes. Why? Why was he like this?

“Maybe you need therapy,” Reiner added.

Ymir sighed. “Rei, I think we all do.”

“Oh, word.”

Reiner joined him on the counter and offered a bowl. Ymir accepted happily, and together they sat there and ate. Ymir weighed in on everything Reiner had said. He could probably guess where his issues came from. He hadn’t had the best start in life, and even though he had been adopted later on and then finally experienced a happy life, there was still a lot of damage there. Not that he expected anyone to fix him. That was all on him.

It was just, the world wasn’t kind to someone like him. People made these little comments around him, completely unaware that what they said had made him wince or turn away to hide his frown. It was difficult when he dated someone, and when she finally saw all of him, her grin tapered out and wobbled and he could see that they were calculating what they needed to sacrifice to be with him. He deserved the absolute fucking world, and he wasn’t going to be something that someone settled for.

“Fine,” he finally grumbled, and set the empty bowl aside. Reiner kept chomping away, but he was staring very attentively. Ymir pulled his phone out, tapped the number in and then took in a calming breath as he pressed the phone to his ear.

One ring. Two. Three.

“Hello?”

His heart lurched. Her voice already made him feel weak and nervous, and for a second he opened his mouth and couldn’t speak. Reiner started laughing into his fist, which gave Ymir the push he needed. He cleared his throat.

“Is this Historia?”

A pause. “Yes it is.”

“Hey, uh, it’s Ymir. From the café today.”

Ymir could hear someone say something in the background, but couldn’t make it out. Historia audibly gasped. “Ymir?”

Ymir furrowed his brows. “You sound very surprised. You gave me your number, right?”

“Yes! I totally did.” She pulled away from the phone and said something to someone, then returned. “I’m sorry I just, didn’t think you would call.”

Ymir’s heart squeezed. “Of course I would call. Have you seen you?”

Historia made an inaudible sound that was akin to a keysmash. “I… thank you. I’m so flustered right now.”

“I can tell.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“No need to be. I’m a mess too. I almost couldn’t speak when you answered.”

Historia sputtered on a laugh. It was such a cute sound. “Really? But you seem so calm and smooth.”

“But on the inside, I’m on fire in a trashcan.”

Another beautiful, angelic laugh. “You’re funny, Ymir.”

“Thanks. I think making a girl laugh is the purest thing in the world. So, I didn’t just call you to make stupid jokes.”

“Oh?” She sounded like she had relaxed quite a bit, so Ymir hopped off the counter and headed for the lounge. Reiner immediately scrambled to follow, quite the nosy bastard.

“Would you like to go out with me some time?”

Historia sucked in a breath. She was silent for so long that Ymir thought the call cut out.

“Hello?” Ymir said. “Are you there?”

“Yes! Yes I am. Sorry, I’m just… Yes, I’d love to.”

Ymir couldn’t smother his grin. “Would you like to go to the beach? We can bring some friends with.”

“Yeah, that sounds really good. It’s supposed to be really hot this whole week.”

“How does Friday sound?”

“Friday is fine.”

“We can meet at the beach around twelve, maybe?”

“Works for me.”

Ymir grinned. “Awesome. I’ll see you in three days, Historia. Count down until then.”

Historia giggled. “I’ll be counting by the hour.”

They said goodbye and hung up, and Ymir felt like his whole chest was buzzing with little warm insects. Reiner made a noise, reminding Ymir that he had been sitting there the whole time. Ymir felt his cheeks warm.

“Oh my god. You like this girl already.”

Ymir threw a couch pillow at him. “Shut up. Will you go to the beach with me? Bring your boy-toy.”

Reiner caught the pillow. “I’m going to tell Bert you call him that.”

“I don’t care. I’ll say it to his face.”

“Rude. Also, yes. I’d love to come with and see how flustered this girl is going to make you.” He rubbed his hands together and grinned in a devious way that made Ymir frown. “I really can’t wait to see this.”

Ymir decided he was done and left for his room. Even though he was mildly irritated by how Reiner acted like his dad sometimes, he couldn’t deny that Reiner was right. And Ymir was incredibly excited.

* * *

After Historia got home from the event, Frieda got home early and decided to pop in for a visit. Historia was suspicious that she might not even have needed to go out. When Frieda gave her an expectant look, Historia stared at her with narrow eyes.

“I feel like there is a plot against me.”

“No plot,” Frieda denied. “But Nana did tell me she saw you flirting with a hot guy at the café.”

Historia’s cheeks burned. “I… we… it’s none of your business.”

Frieda’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, come on. Give me the deets. I know there are details because of the way you’re pointedly not looking at me. Spill, bitch.”

Historia sighed. She was still buzzing from that whole interaction, even though she still felt a bit stupid for basically just throwing her number at a complete stranger. “Fine. His name is Ymir, and he’s incredibly cute. He started flirting with me and I got super awkward and then I gave him my number but he got really shocked so I don’t think it was welcomed.” She winced. “I think I misunderstood. He was probably just being nice.”

Frieda heaved a great sigh. “I wish I had been there to watch. I would have been able to tell you if he was interested or not. Let’s hope he calls you then, yeah?”

Historia was surprised by Frieda’s understanding and that she didn’t suddenly push her opinion on it. She was just about to say exactly that, but then her phone started to ring. Her heart jumped in her chest when it was a number she didn’t recognize. It couldn’t be?

When she answered, there was no reply for a while. She nearly put the phone down, but then that deep, husky voice touched her ears and she knew it was Ymir before he even said his name. Her tummy tingled and she shot Frieda a look of warning when she squealed.

When the call was done, Historia tossed her phone and then reached for a magazine. She started rolling it up. “Come here,” she growled, starting for Frieda. Her sister stood from the couch, face bewildered.

“Historia, put that away.”

“I’m going to beat your ass for making all those noises while I spoke to him!”

She swatted forward, but Frieda was taller and faster, and she got away. Historia chased her through the tiny apartment and only gave up after she had whacked Frieda’s ass a total of twenty times. Frieda took the rolled-up magazine from her and tossed it cross the room, then threw Historia over her shoulder.

“Frieda, put me down!”

Frieda chortled. “Oh no, now I’m going to beat your ass, little sis. You forget your place.”

“I’m going to shave your eyebrows off,” Historia threatened in a growl.

Frieda laughed like a cartoon villain, then she walked into the bathroom and put the shower on. Historia screamed when she was shoved under the freezing water.

“Frieda, what the fuck?”

Frieda reached for something on the edge of the shower. “Cool that pretty head of yours. And also wax.”

Historia sputtered. “I do _not_ need to wax.”

“Come on. You’re going to the beach. You’ll be in a skimpy bikini. He’ll definitely want to get you out of it.” Historia put the shower off and glowered at her sister.

“You’re disgusting. Please leave my sight immediately.”

Mercifully, Nanaba knocked at the door. Frieda skipped away to answer and Historia wearily made her way into the hallway. Nanaba gave her a look of concern when she saw her sodden appearance. Smartly, she didn’t ask.

“Bye, little sis. I want to hear all about your little date.”

Historia glared. “Bye slut bag.”

Frieda’s eyes narrowed. “Whore.”

Before their endearing insults could get worse, Historia shut her door. She glared at it for a good five seconds, felt her cheeks warm up again and then went to the bathroom to shave. She wasn’t going to wax, but maybe just doing a little would help. Not that she needed to. But just in case…

* * *

Historia realized two things that made her forming crush on Ymir deepen. Firstly, he had selected a very public place for their first date. Secondly, he had requested friends, so they weren’t entirely alone. Part of Historia wished they would be alone, but she felt a lot more at ease knowing she would have friends that she knew and trusted with her.

Ymir was already being so sweet.

She wasn’t as much of a nervous wreck as she expected, and she was mostly just intensely excited. That was until they arrived at the beach, and she suddenly felt incredibly nervous.

“Relax,” Mikasa told her, removing her seatbelt. “We’ll be here to kick him in the balls if he does anything you don’t want.”

Historia swallowed and offered Mikasa a smile. “Thanks, babe.”

Annie gave her hand a squeeze. “You know how Mikasa enjoys kicking men between the legs.”

Mikasa’s eyes twinkled with amusement, and then they all climbed out. When Historia had asked them, they had been overjoyed to accept her offer especially since it was technically a date. It helped that they were together, too. Historia wondered who Ymir would be bringing, and she hoped they all got along well.

“So where are we meeting up?” Annie asked.

Historia took her phone out to message him.

 **Historia  
** _Hey Ymir! We’re at the beach. Where do we meet you?_

 **Ymir  
** _At the beach bar. Look for an incredibly tall brunette dude with a very buff blonde boyfriend. I’ll be somewhere between them lol_

Historia grinned, said as much to her own companions and then they made their way over. Quinta beach was incredibly beautiful. It was kept clean and the water was so clear the bottom was completely visible. Tourists tended to flock here because of that, so it was incredibly busy. As they made their way from the parking lot to the actual beach, they had to dodge crowds and couples and unruly children.

The bar was quite popular with everyone that came to visit. It stocked a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as some snacks and even a few small cooked meals. As expected, it was absolutely packed. Thankfully, Historia immediately spotted a man that towered over everyone there, and right next to him was a blonde dude with incredible muscles. They were by the counter, clearly flirting so she assumed they were an item. Nervously, Historia made her way over to them, slipping between people loitering around.

“Hi!” she greeted cheerfully.

They turned as one, almost speechless as they looked at her, then the blonde guy straightened and offered his hand. He looked immensely pleased to see her, so she wondered what Ymir had said about her to him.

“You must be Historia!”

He shook her hand enthusiastically, making her wince. When she shook the other man’s hand, his grip was very gentle.

“Yeah, that’s me,” she confirmed.

“I’m Reiner!” the blonde guy introduced. He stuck a thumb right into the other man’s chest. “This tall beauty is my boyfriend, Berthold. You can just call him Bert.”

Berthold gave her a little awkward wave, and his clear nervousness made her want to hug him. She smiled at him, then gestured to her companions.

“This woman with abs of steel is my best friend, Mikasa. The only person almost as short as me is her girlfriend, Annie.”

They all greeted each other, and Historia looked around. “Where is Ymir?”

“He should be…” Reiner trailed off and looked around, blue eyes squinted as he looked across at the beach. His face suddenly brightened. “Right there! He went and got a spot for us in some shade.”

They all turned to watch Ymir trudge through the sand to them. Historia knew it was probably incredibly cliché, but she felt like that moment in the movies where everything slowed down and the love interest moved in slow motions, muscles glistening and hair blowing in the breeze. Ymir’s hair was short to his ears, and it was a little messy from the constantly blowing wind. He had a floral shirt on and striped swim trunks, and he looked both adorable and gorgeous as he walked over to them. Sweat gleamed on the small portion of his chest peeking out from his shirt, and Historia swallowed. She felt a poke at her side and turned to see Mikasa giving her a look.

“He’s hot,” she whispered softly.

Historia wanted to laugh. “Right?

Mikasa grinned at the lifted brow Annie sent her. “I may be gay, but I can still appreciate a hot man.”

Historia couldn’t argue with that. Ymir noticed all of them staring when he made it to the bar, and he broke into a broad grin. He waved and Historia waved back, both of them a little awkward.

“You made it!” he announced when he reached them. “I got us an awesome spot. Blankets and cooler are all set up.”

“Come on y’all, let’s head out!” Reiner yelled, then he grabbed Bert’s hand and started dragging him away. Mikasa and Annie followed, which left Historia and Ymir lagging behind them. Historia had the impression they were doing it on purpose, especially when they all started to almost jog—basically race, to the spot Ymir had declared for them. There was a strip of beach that was covered in firm grass and thick trees, and it was a popular spot for people to set up blankets to just laze around in the heat. It was amazing that Ymir had managed to even claim a space for them.

“I nearly got my ass kicked for that spot,” Ymir spoke up beside her. She was quite shorter than him and struggling in the hot sand, but he was keeping pace with her. He probably could have gone ahead and waited, and Historia found it very sweet that he was going so slow to walk with her.

“Really?” she asked. “What happened?”

He laughed. “Some family made it there the same time I did. Dude got all up in my face but I put my blanket down first. I thought he was going to smack me, but his wife told him to forget about it. His kids started crying. They left, defeated.”

Historia covered her mouth. “Those poor kids, Ymir.”

He shrugged. “Not my kids, not my problem.”

When they made it to the others, they were already seated and passing around cold bottles of beer. Historia’s spirits lifted when she heard them having a massive conversation, and she was so happy that they were getting along. Annie and Reiner seemed to be arguing about something, and when she noticed Bert’s flushed face and Mikasa’s smirk, she realized they were probably comparing their partners.

“Move over, slut,” Ymir said and eyed Reiner until he rolled his eyes and moved, clearing the space at the corner of the blanket. Ymir turned to Historia. “After you, Queen.”

Historia blushed and sat down, Ymir following. He was so near that their knees almost touched.

“Babe, why don’t you ever call _me_ Queen?” Reiner complained to Bert.

Bert blushed. “Reiner, we’re men.”

Reiner gasped. “And I’m not allowed to be a Queen?”

Ymir snorted. “Reiner can be whatever he wants to be.”

Reiner whipped his head around, eyes shining with unshed tears. “Ymir is my whole person! See, Bert? Maybe I should break up with you and date Ymir instead.”

Ymir took a big sip of beer and Berthold rolled his eyes, so Historia didn’t stress. They clearly did this often.

“I would totally date you if I was into men,” Ymir told him. “You’d be my first pick.”

Reiner looked like he was about to blush. Instead, he bumped Ymir’s fist and they winked at each other. Historia laughed.

“Honestly, friendship goals,” she said.

“I can confirm Historia has propositioned me many times,” Mikasa chimed in. “And she _is_ interested in women.”

Annie pretended to be upset and sent Historia narrowed eyes. “Hands off, shorty.”

“Hey, you’re almost as short as me!”

“But I’m still an inch taller.”

Historia pouted. “A single inch, Annie.”

“Hey, every inch counts,” Reiner interjected, snickering. Bert sighed.

“Word,” Ymir agreed. He laughed and clinked his bottle to Reiner’s.

The banter continued, and instead of sitting quietly like Historia usually did when it came to social interactions, she found herself often arguing with someone or adding her own two cents. Ymir tended to share his strict views, and most of the time Historia was disagreeing with him. Despite that, they were smiling the whole time. He was a bit pessimistic, but there was a strange positive lining to it. He made her want to grab his face, head-butt him hard and then kiss him senseless. The whole time she sat there chatting with everyone, she couldn’t stop thinking about reaching over and taking his hand. Pulling him down and kissing him. Taking him somewhere they could be alone.

God, this crush was deepening even more. He just… every time he looked at her, a shiver rocked down her spine. When he shifted, their legs brushed together and Historia was suspicious that it wasn’t quite accidental.

“God, I’m fucking hot,” Ymir complained, fanning himself with his shirt.

“So lets go and swim!” Historia suggested. “Or just take your shirt off?”

“So forward,” Reiner whispered quite loudly, then snickered when Ymir shot him a look.

“Sometimes I forget I can do that,” Ymir mumbled, then he lifted his shirt and pulled it off.

Someone whistled. Historia wasn’t sure who. He wasn’t incredibly muscular like Reiner, but he still had slightly defined abs and gorgeous shoulders and Historia realized she was staring open mouthed at him when he shifted and covered his chest.

“What, did my nipples fall off?”

Everyone laughed except Historia. She blushed brightly and cleared her throat, refusing to even answer that. She decided to get some revenge and pulled her own shirt off. Underneath she had her favourite bikini on. It was maybe a little bit… maybe a teeny tiny bit too small for her breasts. The straps were thin and there were frills along the edges. This bikini bra really accentuated her breasts though, and when she shook her ponytail free of her shirt, she noticed everyone was staring. Ymir’s face had gone incredibly red. Reiner looked shook and Bert was pointedly looking elsewhere. Annie gave her a thumbs-up and Mikasa just nodded, like she was proud.

“Well,” Ymir said, clearing his throat. “Let’s go and get wet.”

Everyone stared at him and he started to grin, then they snickered and got to their feet. Thankfully, no one made an inuendo. They left their shirts and slops on their blanket, then made their way over the burning sand to the water. Historia nearly stumbled, but Ymir suddenly grabbed her and held on until she regained her balance. His arm was wound her waist and his hand closed around her hip, and she felt her face burn.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded and her heart dropped when he withdrew his arm. Pulling on all of her courage, she reached out and took his hand. He looked back at her, surprised.

“Hold my hand so I don’t trip again?”

He straightened a little and then he nodded, and together they started walking again, this time holding hands. It was more of an innocent palm hold, but then he slid his fingers between hers and Historia’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t believe they were actually holding hands, or that her heart was racing so hard just from that. What was she, twelve?

* * *

Ymir imagined this is what it felt like to be a teenage boy at the height of puberty. The moment Historia removed her shirt he had nearly swallowed his whole damn tongue. It wasn’t just her chest but it was her whole body… her collar bones and her tummy and her pale skin. It was also her boobs. She had amazing boobs, and he couldn’t help but imagine slipping his hands underneath her bikini. Obviously, those thoughts were off limits for the time being.

All of their friends seemed to have vanished—suspiciously—so it was just the two of them as they waded into the water. It was cool against his skin, and he breathed in relief. It was always a marvel to feel the breeze against his naked back.

“Ymir!”

He turned at Historia’s shout, then sputtered when she splashed water into his face. He blinked the water from his eyes and then glared at her, and she was grinning.

“You’re gonna regret that.”

She stuck her tongue out. “Make me.”

He stood to his full height and surged forward. The water only came to his waist, but she was so much smaller and had to swim away whereas he only just strode. In no time he reached her and he wrapped his arms around her. She yelled as he lifted her up and then tossed her into the deeper water. When she emerged, she spat water out and her glare was chilling.

“You’re evil.”

He grinned at her. “Pot and kettle.”

Historia started swimming for him again, but he splashed more water at her, laughing. She yelled something rude, then started splashing back. Neither of them could see, and they ended up just blindly smacking the water at each other while they laughed. They must have somehow just gravitated forward, because he felt warm skin brush against his and opened his eyes. Historia opened hers at the same moment, and they froze. They were standing very close together.

“Who won?” she breathed.

He swallowed. “No fucking clue.”

She opened her mouth to say something, but then a wave suddenly caught them. Ymir managed to stay on his feet, but Historia got knocked clean off of hers. He immediately reached out and grabbed her, pulling her to him and shielding her as the water splashed over them. When the water settled, he shook the water from his hair, but Historia didn’t move away. She actually pressed herself closer to him, then he realized he didn’t feel the fabric of her bikini top. He felt bare skin.

“Don’t freak out, but my top is gone.”

Ymir looked down and into Historia’s blue eyes. She was blushing brightly and doing her best to hide her naked chest.

“Oh fuck.” He immediately looked around to see if it was floating close by, but it seemed to be completely gone. Luckily they were a bit separated from everyone else, so one could see them. “Fuck.”

She exhaled. “Maybe I can just float here and you can go and get my shirt?”

He looked down. “No way. You’ll get swept away. And what if some weirdo notices and hassles you?”

She blinked like she hadn’t even thought of it. “I don’t want people to see that I’m topless.”

Ymir looked around, but didn’t see any of their friends. Their blanket was also empty. An idea hit him and it made him blush, but he forced the embarrassment down.

“Let me carry you.”

Her eyes widened. “What? How will that help?”

“Put your arms around my neck, and I’ll put mine around your back and neck. It’ll hide your lack of, uh, clothes.”

Her pale cheeks were a dark red, and she seemed to consider it for a long moment. She already had her bare breasts against his chest, and it was driving him crazy. He felt like his heart was about to beat right out of his chest. Finally, hesitantly, she nodded. He bent down.

“Okay, climb on.”

She laughed. “Do you recommend this ride?”

He was caught off guard by her joke, and it made him nearly breathe water in as he laughed. While he recovered, she wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist, and his stomach fluttered with nerves. He stood once she was securely against him and he was certain no one would notice her bareness, then he made for shore. People sent them glances, but it was mostly pleasant smiles. He knew what they probably looked like, and he couldn’t deny that he liked the idea. She was a little heavy, but he kept on even when his legs began to shake, and when he made it to the blanket he carefully sat down. She remained pressed to him the entire time.

“I’m going to cover your back with this towel, okay? You can quickly put your shirt on. I won’t look.”

Water dripped from her hair and chin, and she nodded quietly as he handed her shirt over and then lifted the towel as high as he could. He closed his eyes and the she moved away and jostled around as she put the shirt on. A soft touch to his cheek made his eyes open, and she was staring at him.

“I’m decent.”

He exhaled in relief and dropped the towel, then froze when four sets of eyes stared at them with heaps of delight and mischief. Historia turned and saw them too, and quickly scrambled off of his lap. He mourned the warmth of her.

“Not even waiting for the second date?” Mikasa questioned.

“Sluts,” Annie said.

“My son, growing up and starting a family,” Reiner said, pretending to cry into Bert’s shoulder.

Ymir opened his mouth to tell them what had happened, but realized Historia probably didn’t want them to know. So he just kept quiet and grinned at them, and his heart skipped into his chest when Historia leaned against him. On the blanket, her pinkie curled around his.

“How old are you guys, twelve?” Historia asked.

“Eleven.” Reiner shot back

Ymir snorted. Reiner and co. had gone to get some takeout—not even telling them—so they dried off while they ate, and the whole time Historia was pressed close to him. Her blush had disappeared and she seemed a lot more at ease, and every time she caught him staring, she flashed that beautiful, dimpled smile. He desperately wanted to kiss her, but he didn’t.

After eating, they decided they were done and started to pack up. Before they were even finished a family hurried over and stood there, waiting. Ymir ignored them and they all left for the parking lot. It was already nearly 3pm, and he couldn’t believe time had gone by so fast.

They were parked at opposite ends, Reiner’s truck closer than Historia’s ride, so they had to say goodbye sooner than expected. Ymir didn’t want to say goodbye, and he reached out to take Historia’s hand in his.

“So, this was really fun.’

She squeezed his hand. “Yeah. I really like your friends.”

Said friends were sitting in the truck, waiting and watching. Ymir ignored them. “I like yours too. They’re really funny.”

Historia sighed, and it sounded a little disappointed. Hope bloomed in Ymir’s chest. Did she feel just as disappointed to part?

“Do you want to go out again?” she asked him. “But this time, just the two of us?”

His heart skipped a beat. “Hell yeah. If you’re comfortable with that.”

She laughed. “Mikasa has seen your face. If anything happens to me, she will end your bloodline.”

He snorted very ungracefully as he laughed, then blushed when Historia laughed at him in turn. She put a hand on his arm and her touch made him feel very intense things.

“Thank you for this date, Ymir. I really, really had a good time. Even though I kind of violated you. Thank you for protecting my honour.”

Ymir gave her a solute. “I’m but a mere mortal at your feet.” He grinned. “And anytime you need help when you’re topless, I’m a call away.”

Historia’s brow lifted, and instead of getting terribly embarrassed like he thought, she smirked. “I’ll consider that, thank you.” She caressed his wrist, then she moved away. “Take care, Ymir.”

He swallowed, throat suddenly dry. “Yeah, you too.”

They stared at each other a moment more, then she finally turned away and headed to her friends. They started walking down the long stretch of parked cars. Ymir stared at them, heart aching to be close to Historia again. He realized what this feeling was, and he pressed his face into his hand, sighing.

“Oh no,” he mumbled quietly. “ _Oh no_.”

When he climbed into the truck, Reiner was grinning. “Oh yes,” he said.

Ymir elected to ignore him.

* * *

Days after the date, Historia was still bubbly and in such a good mood that everyone around her noticed. She bounded around the restaurant with boundless energy and even the creepy old men and rude old ladies did nothing to dampen her mood. She responded to all of the rudeness with pure kindness, and most times those customers apologized or tipped her nicely, probably guilty.

After clearing one of the tables, she took everything to the kitchen and then joined Mikasa by the door. She was almost rocking on her heels, humming an upbeat song under her breath. Mikasa smiled at her.

“You’re bouncing around like an actual ray of sunshine.” Historia beamed at her. “Love makes you glow.”

She nearly choked. “Love? I’m not… I mean… we just…”

Mikasa put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her awkward sputter. “You don’t need to put labels on it, but you’re clearly feeling some big things. It looks good on you. When are you seeing him again?”

She blew out a long breath. “We haven’t settled on the next date yet.”

“Why wait?”

She just looked at Mikasa.

“I mean ask him out,” she clarified. “Pick a place you want to go and ask him. Do it right now.”

She stared for a moment, then decided Mikasa was right. She hid behind the restaurant sign that stood just outside the door, then sent Ymir a quick message. He was already online, so he responded immediately.

 **Historia  
** _Would you like to come over to my place for dinner tonight?_

 **Ymir  
** _Hells yeah sounds dope. Should I bring anything?_

 **Historia  
** _I’ll cook. Just bring a snack_

 **Ymir  
** _Like, just one snack? A single pretzel?_

 **Historia  
** _No. Just you_

 **Ymir  
** _What  
Oh  
OH  
Lmao wow, that was smooth_

 **Historia  
** _Are you allergic to anything?_

 **Ymir  
** _Just one thing_

 **Historia  
** _Oh! What is it? I don’t want to accidentally kill you or make you sick_

 **Ymir  
** _Your concern touches me  
I’m just allergic to the distance between us_

 **Historia  
** _Aghsdhdhdhdhh YMIR  
Don’t joke about that_

 **Ymir  
** _Lmao I’d say I’m sorry but I’d be lying_

 **Historia  
** _I’ll forgive you because that was very sweet. I’ll see you tonight? Is 8 okay?_

 **Ymir  
** _Perfect. I can’t wait to see you_

 **Historia  
** _Me too <3_

 **Ymir  
** _< 3_

 **Historia  
** _Historia sent a location_

She put her phone away and then re-joined Mikasa, a stupidly dopey grin on her face. Mikasa seemed very pleased.

“Go well?”

She bobbed her head. “He’s so adorable. And a bit of an idiot.”

Mikasa snorted. “You always liked them a bit stupid.”

“Stupid and hot.” She bit her lip. “And very dreamy.”

“I feel that way about Annie all the time.”

“Gay.”

“You know it.”

A family approached them, so Historia stepped away to guide them to a table. The husband was rude to her, the wife just flat out ignored her and their two children started screaming the second they sat down. She handed menus out and kept smiling, because despite their horrible attitudes she was still hyped up from her conversation with Ymir, and she didn’t think anything could ruin that.

* * *

“Button-up, or regular shirt?”

Ymir turned to Reiner, who was sitting casually on his bed, and showed both shirts in front of his bare chest. Reiner stared at him silently for a while, contemplating.

“The normal shirt,” he finally answered. “It’s tight on you and it shows off that amazing body.”

Ymir slipped the shirt on and scrutinized himself, then he nodded in agreement. The button-up was incredibly sexy on him, but maybe for a more formal event. He liked the way this long-sleeved shirt eventuated his muscular arms and shoulders, and especially the hint of pecks and abs. He took a moment to admire his flat chest, smiling, then he grabbed his leather jacket, put on a bit of his spray and headed for the door.

“You look sexy as hell,” Reiner told him, following close behind.

Ymir wiggled his brows. “I know, thanks.”

“What time will you be home?”

Ymir looked at his watch. “Well, we’re eating dinner. I’m not sure what she has planned. I could honestly stay there the whole night. Don’t wait up for me.”

Reiner nodded seriously, then stood by the open doorway as Ymir left. “Remember to use protection!” Reiner yelled loudly after him. “And your consent matters too!”

Ymir shook his head, but he was smiling. Both of those things were in fact very valid, even if they weren’t really things to shout loudly down a hallway of an apartment building.

Instead of taking the elevator, he decided to head down the stairs and by the time he reached the bottom his legs were burning the way he liked. He was filled with a lot of restless, excited energy, so there was no helping it as he sped across the city towards Historia’s place. The wind buffeted hard against his body, and he felt powerful on his roaring bike.

He remembered the directions off by heart and crawled to a stop in front of a gate. He flipped the visor on his helmet and leaned over to a keypad off to the side. He punched in Historia’s code, given to him by her—making him feel very touched that she trusted him this much—and then flipped his visor down when the gate opened. He drove on, slowly this time, and weaved his way through the townhouses until he reached house number 104. He stopped in the driveway behind a small car, then sat up and took a deep breath. His heart was pounding.

He removed his helmet and climbed off his bike. It would be completely safe there. The whole place looked very safe, certainly more than the area where he stayed, where police sirens blared by at least once a week. He tucked his helmet under his arm and made his way to the front door, carefully brushing his hair back using his fingers. He had combed it so nicely back at the apartment. Oh well.

His knees nearly quivering, he reached out and knocked. A few heartbeats passed, then the door opened and Historia stood there. She smiled beautifully, and Ymir felt his whole chest warm up.

“Hey you,” she greeted, moving aside to let him in. “Thank you for coming over.”

Ymir stepped in, immediately hit with the smell that was Historia’s home. There was a mixture of fragrances—food, perfume, lavender air freshener and clothing softener. It made him feel at home and he relaxed.

“Hey. Thanks for having me. Whatever you’re making smells damn delicious. Where can I put this?”

Historia jumped to take the helmet from him and set it down on the dining table. “Thank you! It’s just spaghetti, but it’s my mom’s secret recipe. It’s not really that secret; she just copied it from a newspaper article before I was even born.”

Ymir laughed. “I’m sure it’ll taste like it’s a secret recipe.”

Historia’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, you bet. Would you like something to drink?”

“I’d love that, thank you.”

He followed her into the kitchen. The smell of pasta and the sauce that was simmering invaded his senses, and his stomach grumbled loudly. Historia offered a bottle of beer, and he took it with a grateful smile.

“Would you like to sit?”

He shook his head. “I’m fine standing. This way I can see what you’re doing.”

Historia looked away to focus on the stove, and he just stood there, leaning against the counter, watching. She was so beautiful. She was wearing jean shorts and a tank top—very casual. It was also exposing her shoulders, neck and slight cleavage, and he tried his hardest not to stare at her chest. He couldn’t stop himself from tracing his eyes over every inch of her, and he could feel desire building deep in his belly. He was busy admiring her legs when she cleared her throat, and his eyes flicked up to meet her.

“My eyes are up here,” she said, smiling in amusement.

He breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn’t uncomfortable. “You have really nice legs.”

She shifted, seemingly a little taken aback. “Thank you. No one has ever complimented my legs before.”

He allowed himself to smirk. “Well, everyone who has seen your legs clearly don’t know how to appreciate art. Do you run?”

She switched the stove off. “I do. Every morning.”

He nodded. “I can tell.”

She wiped her hands off on a dishtowel and then grabbed a few plates and dished. He moved to help her, but she pressed a hand to his chest. Ymir couldn’t deny the little skip in his heart at the press of her warm palm.

“Nuh-uh, you go and sit down in the lounge. I’ll bring the food out.”

He pouted. “I feel bad making you serve me.”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s my home. When I go over to yours, you can slave away for me as much as you want.”

He brightened. “Actually, that’s a good idea! I live with Reiner though.”

She laughed. “Go, sit! I’ll be out now.”

He left the kitchen and settled down on the two-seater couch. It was a small home, but very cosy. He noticed a lot of interesting artwork on the walls, and there was a huge bookcase pressed up against the left wall that was overflowing with books. When Historia sat down beside him, he was still admiring some of the novels.

“You like to read.”

She let out a sigh. “Like is a very weak word. My sister says I have a problem, like an alcoholic.”

Ymir accepted a plate from her. “Back in high school I was severely addicted to vaping. I thought it made me very cool. I wish I’d rather been into books.”

“I can see you vaping, actually.”

He gasped, turning to look at Historia. “Take that back.”

She only grinned. Ymir decided to let it go, because she was too cute for him to really process, then he started to eat. He groaned after the first bite and Historia seemed very pleased by it. He inhaled the food and if he was at home, he would have licked the plate clean.

“Good?”

He sucked his fork clean, then sat back. “God, that was so good. You’re a really good cook.”

She stood and took his plate. “Thank you. It’s another hobby of mine.”

She started for the kitchen, so he stood and followed her. Before she could argue, he grabbed a dishtowel and slapped it over his shoulder.

“I’m going to help you clean the dishes, and you aren’t going to fight me on this. You’ll find that I’m much bigger and stronger than you.”

She glared at him for a moment, then her expression softened and she sighed. “If you insist, sir.”

He flushed. Historia filled the sink and gathered all of the freshly dirtied dishes. While she washed and rinsed, Ymir dried and packed away. He needed a few instructions at first, but easily remembered the layout of the kitchen. They chatted casually as they worked, and he was delighted at making Historia laugh more than once. When they were done, he neatly folded the towel and set it down on the counter, and then followed Historia back into the lounge.

“So what do you have planned now?”

Historia glanced up at the clock. It showed 9:22pm. How had so much time just flown by?

“Well, how long do you plan on staying? I don’t want to keep you.”

“I’m off tomorrow, so I’m all yours for however long you want me.”

Historia give him a lingering look, one that made him swallow. He suddenly felt hot, so he shrugged out of his leather jacket and draped it over the couch arm. Her reaction was immediate—and very obvious—and maybe he flexed a little when she stared at his arms.

“Um…”

“I can always just sit here all night so you can stare at me.” He lifted his arm and flexed a bicep, and then laughed when she playfully slapped him.

“You’re an arrogant bastard.”

“Ah, but you think it’s hot.”

She glanced away, fingers twitching together. “I do,” she admitted. When she turned to look at him again, her stare was heated.

Ymir’s smirk slid right off of his face. He could feel the air heating up between them, filling up with the sparks that had been there since the moment they first locked eyes. Before either of them knew it, they were slowly moving closer. Ymir became very aware that their lips were inches apart, and he felt like he could barely breathe.

“Historia?”

Her blonde lashes fluttered. “Yeah?” Her voice sounded breathy.

“Can I kiss you?”

She froze for the shortest second, then she answered him by closing the distance. Her lips were incredibly soft and everything he had fantasized about. He couldn’t help but moan softly against her mouth, and when he ran his tongue along her bottom lip, she parted them and he slid inside. Her tongue brushed against his, and his head swam. She pressed against him, a hand flat against his chest. He could feel her fingers shaking, and he wondered if she could feel how hard his heart was beating. When they pulled away, they rested their foreheads together and he was breathing hard.

“Was that okay?”

Historia released a breath. “Ymir, that wasn’t okay.” She inhaled loudly. “That was the best kiss I’ve ever had.” She suddenly climbed onto his lap, and her eyes were burning, searing right through him. “I can think of something we can do for the rest of the night.”

His ears started to burn, but not as warmly as other places. It felt like every hair was standing up, electrified, and his skin was suddenly ultra-sensitive. Historia stared him in the eyes, then lifted her shirt up and off. She was breath-taking, even in just a plain black bra. His fingers twitched and his mouth went dry.

“Are you sure?”

She smiled tenderly at him and reached out to cares a line along his jaw. “Ymir, you’re so sweet. So, so sweet. But I really want you right now. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.”

He puffed out a laugh. “Oh god, you don’t know how badly I do want to.”

“So?”

He swallowed again. “I just, I mean, you do know that I’m tr—”

She pressed a finger to his lips. “Don’t even finish that sentence. You’re you. I want you and that means I want whatever _you_ is.”

His heart soared, and he could see the seriousness in her eyes. No one had ever said that to him before. She really didn’t seem concerned. Most of the girls usually were. They were always worried to see what was in his pants. Some people could be fucking rude about it too, like somehow his whole worth as a person depended on what his genitals looked like. He never cared about being self-conscious about it, but he did make it a point to mention it to possible lovers at some point.

But here was Historia, fully aware and not in the least bit interested in hashing out details that didn’t matter. He knew in a very short moment that he had just fallen in love. Fully, deeply and undoubtably in love. He had never felt like this before. Physical attraction, of course. Crushes, yeah. But this? It was like something suddenly tethered to his heart, and this cord travelled right to Historia. He suddenly understood why people freaked out about love so much. Why they wrote and sang and died for it.

“You’re amazing,” he whispered reverently, reaching out to take Historia’s hands into his own. “I think I just fell in love with you.”

A flush crept up her chest to her face, and she suddenly seemed very flustered, which amused him considering she was on top of his lap, topless and asking for sex. Sometimes she was so awkward, and sometimes so forward.

“Good because I think I fell in love the day I looked up and you asked me what I wanted to order.”

He laughed, delighted. “You don’t really know me yet, Historia. I’m an insufferable bastard.”

She lifted a brow. “I can be incredibly stubborn and hard-headed, and I overthink things— _a lot_.”

“I can see that.”

“Are you really trying to give me reasons _not_ to seduce you right now? Because it’s getting cooler and I’m very topless right now.”

He hummed in contemplation. “I don’t know, I think you could be a little more topless.”

She stared, then she smirked and unclipped her bra so swiftly that he had no idea how she did it. Her bra fell away and she tossed it aside, and then he nearly choked a second time. Her breasts bounced free, pink nipples hardening against the cool air.

He had seen many breasts in his life. Plenty over the internet and many in person too. But he still felt struck dumb, like this was his first time and he was a nervous virgin. It was also invigorating, because this was still nothing he had ever felt before. He didn’t just want to tear into her until they both came and were done with it. He wanted to love her body. He wanted to touch her and show her exactly how he felt, and make her quiver and writhe beneath him. He didn’t even care if he got off at all—only that she did.

He pulled his own shirt off, the wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. He felt the stutter in her breath when they kissed, and she felt incredibly warm against his chest.

“Have you had a lot of water today?” he asked, pulling away to nip along her jawline.

“I… huh?”

He chuckled and kissed down to her collarbones, biting down to suckle on her flesh and leave a bruising mark. “I’m going to dehydrate the fuck out of you tonight.”

She laughed, snorted hard and then covered her mouth, but laughed even harder. He chuckled along and trailed his fingers along her back, making her shiver.

“Hell yes,” she finally gasped out. “Destroy me.”

He kissed her lips again, and got lost in just that—in just the brush of their lips and the slide of their tongues. Her fingers combed through his hair, and he tingled all over.

“Be careful what you wish for,” he warned playfully, twisting them around so that she was on her back on the couch.

“I may be small, but I’m tough. I’m also incredibly horny right now.”

He sucked in a deep breath and shivered. “Alright. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Without breaking a sweat, he lifted her into his arms and then started down the short hallway. She laughed in delight.

“Door on the right.”

He followed the direction, nudging the door open with his boot, then carefully deposited her down on the mattress. She stared up at him, her blue eyes darkened with desire, her chest heaving with shallow breaths.

He smirked down at her, then he started taking his belt off. Her eyes were glued to the motion of his fingers as he popped open the button of his pants, and the sound of his zipper sliding down was nearly deafening.

His heart was pounding. His body was alight. And when they kissed again, nothing had ever felt more like home.

* * *

Weeks somehow turned into months, and before even realizing it Ymir moved in. He spent so much time over at her flat anyway, always leaving one more shirt or forgetting another pair of shoes, until he started coming home to her place after work and collapsing on the couch, groaning.

Historia never expected to ever fall so hard in love before. Ymir often tested her patience, and they disagreed on a lot of things, but what she loved was that they could have calm, rational discussions instead of fighting. They hadn’t ever even raised their voices at each other. Usually when he started to really irritate her, she would calmly ask him to give her space, and they would fume separately and calm down, then talk it over again with clearer heads. Ymir was always so willing to meet her halfway and compromise, but he never sacrificed anything.

She loved that he was so conscious about his own health and happiness. He voiced his needs and wants, and he communicated so well. She never even thought she would find someone that fit so well with her. They certainly weren’t perfect, and not every day was a perfect day, but she had never been happier. Everyone in her life noticed, and a lot of people were a little jealous.

Ymir often showed up at her work just to see her, or to bring her lunch. She would spend her break with him, and then they would kiss for minutes at a time until she was forced to leave, and some of her co-workers would either tease her, or glare at her. Ymir found it very funny, so he made it a point to be disgustingly sweet in front of them just to piss them off. Historia always pretended to be annoyed, but she loved it. She loved that people could see how happy they were. Maybe it was bad to be smug, but hey, flaunt what you got, right?

They grew impossibly close and intimate in just the short few months they started dating. She shared her entire childhood with him, and he didn’t hesitate to do the same. He told her about how he had been orphaned as a baby, then grew up in the system. How he spent a few years on the streets before he was taken in by his current parents, who adopted him. They accepted him fully when he came out and wanted to transition, and he expressed how important that had been for him. 

Historia could only imagine. When she had come out to her own parents, they had been a little confused at first, but they sat her down and asked her real questions, and she patiently explained and spoke to them. Whenever they said something ignorant or hurtful, she told them. Sometimes they were offended and refused to see how they were in the wrong, but she gave them time and they would always apologize to her and never make the same mistake again. She was so proud when they attended their first pride with her, and they were so cute when they wore matching shirts in support of their bisexual daughter.

Frieda had been quick to come out immediately afterwards, but then she’d already knowingly been a huge lesbian for years. Of course, by then their parents were very knowledgeable about the queer community, and they barely even reacted more than “oh that’s nice dear”. Historia still laughed about it sometimes. Frieda had expected a big blowout, some shouting and maybe some crying. Instead their parents had just accepted it without blinking. Historia had coached them well.

“I want you to meet my dads,” Ymir told her one morning as they were lazing around in bed, deliciously naked and cooling off from their earlier activities.

She trailed her fingers along his arm. “I’d love to meet them. Do they know about me?”

He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “Of course they do. I never shut up about you. They think I made you up. You can’t possibly be so perfect, they say.” He rolled his eyes. “I’ve just been so wrapped up in you then I never thought to introduce you to them.”

Historia caressed the scratchy hairs along Ymir’s chin. He needed to shave again, which he did almost every morning. He said he didn’t need facial hair to prove his masculinity, and he hated getting food stuck on his beard. He’d tried it once, and never again. Historia thought he would look sexy either way, and she always told him she would love him no matter what he looked like. Whenever she said that, he always gave her this shatteringly tender look, and it made her fall in love all over again.

“You’ve met my parents. So it’s time I met yours.”

Ymir suddenly laughed. “Remember when your dad said he can’t wait for me to knock you up?”

Historia shook her head and pressed her face to his chest. “God, don’t remind me.”

“ _Sir, I won’t be able to get your daughter pregnant, but it won’t be for lack of trying,_ ” he repeated, and then started to laugh so hard that his face went red. Historia watched him chortle and snort until he got over it, then he wiped tears from his eyes. “The look on your father’s face was priceless.”

“You can be so cruel sometimes.”

“Hey, I saw the opportunity and I took it.”

“I’ll admit that I’ll never forget the look on their faces.” She snickered. “Poor souls. But luckily, we live in the modern world, where we don’t need outdated methods to start a family.”

Ymir gave her a little pout. “Hey, I wouldn’t call it outdated. We can still enthusiastically try.”

Historia grinned and nuzzled into him. “You sure already do.”

He chuckled again. “I’m sure if we ever want to have babies we’ll figure it out.”

“Of course. There are many ways we can start a family. But first, let’s figure out how I’m going to meet your dads, before we decide to have kids, huh?”

He pressed a kiss to her head. “Of course, babe. Proprieties. We can plan our children right after that.”

Historia just laughed again, and she watched Ymir climb out of bed. He swayed his ass tauntingly as he walked to the bathroom, then winked over his shoulder when he caught her staring. She rolled her eyes, but grinned against her palm.

God, she fucking loved Ymir so much.

They decided to have dinner with Ymir’s parents that weekend, and Historia found that she wasn’t nearly as nervous as she should have been. Ymir was completely at ease, and his calm always helped to keep her calm. He kept promising that they would adore her, and she trusted Ymir with everything, so it was easy to trust in that.

Ymir’s dads were adorable and wonderful. They seemed very surprised when they opened the door to see them standing there, and they wouldn’t stop showering her with compliments. Ymir was beaming with happiness, and Historia had such a wonderful night. At one point they pulled out the baby album and Ymir groaned in horror as they showed off the kid pictures.

“Of course, we don’t have any baby pictures,” one of them sighed sadly.

Ymir kissed his dad on the temple. “We can always photoshop some if you want.”

They laughed. “Look, this is when he just started living with us as a little boy. He was always so naughty and he hated to listen.”

“A horrible little monster,” his other dad laughed. “But we loved him and we still do.”

Historia pecked Ymir on the cheek. “I’d say he’s still a horrible monster, just not little anymore.”

Ymir narrowed his eyes. “You wound me, Historia.”

She smoothed his frown with a kiss, and then Ymir’s dads rushed to get dessert, and the rest of the evening they spent chatting and laughing so hard they cried multiple times. When they left, Historia felt like she had just gained two whole new fathers.

“I love them,” she announced once they got home and collapsed in bed.

Ymir pulled her closer. “And they love the hell out of you, too.”

She snuggled close and rested her head against his chest. Gently, she traced the scars there, and she couldn’t help but feel immensely grateful that she had Ymir in her life, that he had survived his circumstances and become the amazing person he was. She grew so emotional that her throat closed up, but she just wrapped her arms around him tightly and hugged him hard. He sensed that something was up, but he didn’t say anything. He just held onto her just as securely, and they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

* * *

“Say, do you think you’d want to marry me?” Ymir asked.

Ymir was reading a book on his lap, so he didn’t see the look Historia shot him. She was silent, so he finally glanced up to see what was up. She had gone pale. Eyes wide. He laughed.

“Relax, I’m not proposing right now!”

She exhaled in a great rush. “I really thought this is how you’d do it.”

“Ouch.”

“What? You can be like that sometimes.”

He closed the book and set it aside, then pulled Historia closer to him. She sighed as he smooched her cheek. “No but really, if I genuinely wanted to ask you, would you be fine with that?”

“Of course I want to marry you. We’ve been together for nearly a year now and I’ve honestly never been happier.” She tilted his chin and kissed his lips. “How are you going to do it?”

He curled his hands around her hips. “Well, now that I have your consent, I’m not going to tell you. It’s going to be a secret.”

She laughed. “I can’t wait.”

“You’ll have no idea when or where I’ll ask.”

“Just please nowhere public.”

“Noted.”

“And no putting the ring in my drink or food, either. I’ll choke to death.”

He furrowed his brows, thinking. “Hm, I might have my work cut out for me.”

She kissed his forehead. “You’ll figure it out.”

The next day, Ymir was very distracted at work as he tried to think of how he wanted to propose. He took Historia’s needs very seriously, and he wanted to make it special but also not overboard. He didn’t need to go to great lengths or spend a ton of money, either. He liked how simple they were.

When he said as much to Jean, he received a puzzled look in reply. He frowned.

“What?”

“It’s just, didn’t you technically already ask her then?”

He wiped a damp cloth along the counter and sighed. He always had this argument with other guys, and it was tiring. “Bro, you can’t decide to take that step on your own. You need to make sure your partner is there with you. I won’t ever put Historia in a place where she feels pressured to say yes to me even if she’s not ready.”

Jean frowned deeper. “But if she isn’t ready then doesn’t that mean it won’t work out?”

“Jean, what type of backwards shit have you been learning?”

“I don’t know, I just always thought that when the guy proposes it’s this big surprise.”

Ymir tossed the cloth aside. “Think of it like this. Say you’re dating a girl—”

“Ew.”

“—and she decides, oh, I want to have a baby. She’s fully ready for it, but she doesn’t even take a moment to consider if you want to be a father yet. So, she makes sure you knock her up without even asking you, then when she’s pregnant, she says oh, we’re having a baby! Do you want to?”

Jean frowned heavily. “First of all, disgusting. Second of all, I would leave her ass right there and then.”

“Exactly. Marriage is a commitment. Hell, most of our generation aren’t even getting married anymore.”

“I think I get it. Sometimes you’re still stuck with these old views, you know? My parents are really traditional. It took my dad years to finally acknowledge that I’m gay, and they’ve only met Marco recently. My first ever boyfriend that they’ve agreed to meet. And I’ve been with so many men.”

“Slut.”

“Rude.”

“So, knowing she wants to marry me makes this so much more fun. I can’t imagine planning all of this and not being completely sure she would say yes. Why would someone even propose then? Straight people are so weird.”

Jean gave him another weird look. “Bitch, aren’t you a straight people?”

“Ah, but I’m still queer, so I have a different outlook on things. I know what it’s like from the other side.” He shivered.

Jean gave his shoulder a pat. “Besides all that complicated crap, congrats. Do you know when you’ll ask her?”

Ymir shrugged. “Not anytime soon. I’m in no rush, and I want to make sure she completely forgets about it.”

“Smart. I’m going to start taking notes.”

“Things still good with Marco?”

“Very, very good.”

Ymir smiled. “Good.”

“What are you two yammering on about?” Eren asked as he swept into the room, his hair all over the place and his apron stained.

“Just big people stuff,” Jean sneered. “The little kids don’t need to know.”

Eren glared at him. “Stuff off, Jean.”

“You’re late again, Jaeger.”

Ymir inhaled through his nose. “Right, so I’m going to straighten the tables, boys. Don’t kiss while I’m gone.”

They both sputtered but he dipped away from the counter before they could insult him. Jean and Eren had the strangest relationship. Sometimes they were fine, but most times they butted heads badly. Ymir had even suspected that they might have a thing for each other, then Eren started dating some guy named Armin and Jean found Marco, and he guessed he would never find out. Maybe if either of them found themselves single at the same time again, Ymir would meddle a bit and set them up.

He straightened tables and wiped them down, all the while thinking about how exactly he wanted to ask Historia to marry him.

* * *

There was an old, crumbling castle just outside of their city that tended to be a popular tourist spot. Historia saw a pamphlet for it at work after clearing one of their tables, and she couldn’t help but feel intrigued. After work, she did a bit of research.

Apparently, a hundred and sixty years ago, the castle had been occupied by a noble family, the Utgards. They were very provident in the land, but then a disease nearly wiped the whole family out. A lot of the family members had been found scattered around the castle grounds, dead. A rivalling noble family had decided to try and lay claim to the castle, but the remaining survivors, only one Utgard girl and her handful of servants, had managed to fight them off. This left the castle in ruins, unfortunately, and they had no choice but to head out to the nearby town—what was now their city—to seek medical help and shelter.

Historia read even deeper, and she discovered that this Utgard girl had fallen in love with one of her servants, who had protected her through the whole battle. They had threatened to jump off the top of the castle together should they lose, but they were stopped by the others just in time. They went on to live a happy, full life together. Their story touched Historia deeply. Something about it just spoke to her.

She wanted to go and visit the castle. Castle Utgard. When she told Ymir, they were lazing around in the lounge watching a movie. He gave her a look.

“An old castle?” he asked. “Sounds boring.”

She pulled out the pamphlet she had found and paged through it. “But the story around it is so beautiful! I’d love to just go there once. We don’t even need to stay for long.”

Ymir took the pamphlet and paged through it, finally nodding. “This actually looks pretty cool.”

“I can get off this weekend!”

“I’ll need to see with Levi if I can take leave for it.”

“Please, Ymir. I really want to go.”

He gave the pamphlet back and pulled his phone out to text his boss. “We can drive down the Saturday, sleep over and then come back Sunday.”

“Oh my god, it’s gonna be so fun.”

Ymir was able to take off for the two days, and early on Saturday morning they packed some things and headed out. Historia didn’t know why she was so excited about it, but something in her just jumped at the idea.

The drive didn’t take all that long, and they spent that time snacking and singing terribly to the latest pop songs. They booked into the hotel that Ymir managed to snatch for them, then went out to look at the castle. It was absolutely swamped with people. Historia could barely see over the crowd, and she was growing frustrated the longer they stood around waiting to be let in to the castle.

Ymir’s hand slid into her own.

“I think we came at the worst time.”

Historia pouted. “I just want to see the castle.”

Ymir leaned up on his toes to peer over the crowd, then dropped back down with a sigh. “I don’t think we’ll get in before they close. Maybe we can try earlier tomorrow morning?”

She tried not to look as crestfallen as she felt. She didn’t want Ymir to feel bad, so she nodded and then they left together. They went to one of the restaurants nearby, where her spirits at least lifted from the delicious food. By the time they were ready to call it a night, Historia was exhausted and no longer as sad about missing out on seeing the castle on their first day.

Ymir pulled her to a sudden stop on their way back to their room. There was a strange look on his face, then he smiled and rubbed a thumb over Historia’s wrist.

“I know how badly you want to see the castle, and we both know it might be just as busy tomorrow and we might miss it again. So, I called in some favours. We can go see it now.”

Historia blinked. “What? Really?”

His grin broadened. “Yeah. There’s a guide waiting for us there right now. Come on.”

Something fluttered in Historia’s chest as she allowed Ymir to drag her back to the castle site. She could hardly believe it when a guide really was standing there, waiting expectantly for them. The woman grinned when she spotted them and adjusted the cap on her head. It was already dark out and she must have been working later just for them.

“Thank you, Grace,” Ymir told the guide.

Grace shook her head. “It’s a pleasure. You’ve got an hour. I’ll give a shout when it’s time.”

Historia didn’t know why they needed a whole hour, but she guessed she could take her time looking around. She was a little speechless as they stepped inside. It was most definitely old, and she could smell cold stone and earth. Some of the wooden support beams were moulding and the bricks here and there were crumbling. When they stepped out into the outer courtyard, her breath caught in her lungs. Right in the centre, where a plaque had been erected to honour the Utgard girl and her servants for their valour, was a blanket laid out with a basket of champagne and chocolates, and petals scattered all about.

Historia looked to Ymir, and he was smiling softly at her. They paused by the blanket, and then Ymir dropped to his knee and pulled a small box from his pocket. Historia realized instantly what this was, and what he was about to do, and tears immediately pressed at her eyes.

“Historia Reiss,” Ymir started, “with a little of my subtle manipulation, I’ve finally brought you here. It’s been over a year since we met at that event, and I’ve grown to love you more and more as the months go by. You make my days brighter, my troubles easier to bare. I can’t imagine living in a world where you aren’t by my side. I feel like so long as I’m with you, I can accomplish anything.

“You remind me each and every day that I deserve all of the happiness in the world. And with you, I have it. I love you, Historia. I love you so fucking much. So, will you do me the incredible honour of marrying me?”

Historia could feel the tears leaking down her face. She started out nodding, then she dropped to her knees and crushed herself to Ymir’s chest, hugging him so tight that he gasped. He laughed then and hugged her back, and she tried to stop crying long enough to answer.

“Yes,” she choked out, “fuck yes I’ll marry you.”

He laughed loudly and then wiped her tears away with his thumbs. “I love us,” he sighed, and then he kissed her and Historia felt swept up and consumed by her emotions. When she finally stopped crying and calmed down, she realized his face was just as wet, and she used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe his cheeks dry. He did the same for her, then he slipped the ring over her finger. It was absolutely beautiful, and she dug in her pocket for something when she was done admiring her ring.

“I was kind of going to do the same thing,” she started, laughing and sniffing. She pulled a ring box out. Ymir’s eyes went wide. “I figured, I really want to marry you, and why must I wait for you to ask me first? We’re so far from traditional.” She opened the box to reveal the silver band within, then took it out with shaking fingers. “Your speech was so beautiful, and I feel like nothing I could say can top that. So, uh, will you marry me?”

Ymir dropped down onto his backside and just stared at her, then he covered his face with his hands and laughed. Historia crawled onto his lap, holding the ring and scowling.

“I love you,” he choked out. “I fucking love you so much, and hell yeah I’ll marry you. Put that ring on me, right now.”

He held his hand out as Historia did exactly that, and then they both stared at it. Then they started to laugh and collapsed together on the blanket.

“Do you want some chocolates?” Ymir asked her.

Historia rested her head in his lap. “Yeah, sure. Feed them to me. Like I’m your noblewoman.”

Ymir reached for the basket and took some of the small chocolates out. “Of course, My Lady. I’m but your servant. Here to defend you and love you.” He pressed a chocolate to her lips and she gratefully accepted it, then licked the melted chocolate from his fingers.

His face flushed, then he bent down to kiss her and before they knew it, he was on top of her and Historia was moaning softly against his ear.

“Quickly,” Ymir gasped, moving against her, “I promised them we wouldn’t have sex here.”

Historia snorted on a laugh, then concealed her cry of pleasure against his shoulder. They managed to finish quickly, and it was still amazing, and when they left with the blanket and basket, Grace gave them a knowing look. She winked, so they were sure she would keep their secret.

They made it back to the hotel for round two, then three and then finally four.

* * *

They actually decided to get officially married in court days after going to castle Utgard. Ymir had managed to change his sex to male on his birth certificate a few years ago, so they had absolutely no issues and when they walked out, they were officially married. They decided to have a small ceremony for their close friends and family, and it was a whole emotional thing. People were crying, some were already drunk and afterwards the music was blaring loudly.

The next day they left for a honeymoon to the tropical island of Paradis, a gift from Historia’s and Ymir’s parents. They were incredibly excited to have an entire week off to themselves, to do nothing but relax and be together.

In their hotel room on Paradis, Ymir took a seat on the patio outside where he could see the clear, rolling waves down by the beach below. He had a steaming mug of coffee beside him and a book nearby. Before he could read, Historia climbed onto his lap and wrapped her arms around him.

“Watching the waves, Husband?”

He couldn’t stop himself from grinning so wide his cheeks hurt. “I was, Wife.”

“Would you like to shower with me?”

“That sounds wonderful, after the night we had.”

They brushed noses, chuckling. They were so disgustingly in love. Historia caressed the side of his face, and he tightened his arm around her waist. There were no words in existence to describe what they felt for each other.

But that was fine. They had their whole lives to figure it out.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are very welcome. Thank you so much for reading, and you're welcome to interact with me on my tumblr danijaynel


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